Excell in problem solving

Excellence is the commitment to utilizing one’s current resources to their fullest potential, continuously striving for improvement as better resources become available. It stands in stark contrast to mediocrity, which is not inherently negative but rather describes a state of average performance. Mediocrity often stems from a complacency with the status quo, a reluctance to transcend limitations, and an avoidance of the inherent challenges involved in striving for greater achievements. It represents doing just enough to meet basic expectations, without the pursuit of further growth.

The imperatives of excellence include commitment to quality, continuous improvement, adaptability, and ethical integrity. The latter is particularly dependent on a culture where excellence is paramount, fostering values that encourage collaboration and contributions that enhance collective outcomes, rather than fostering competition.

So why to mention on medicority?

Adressing Mediocrity is a valuable insight! This can tell you are on the right track on pursuit for excellence.

Initially facing resistance and even ridicule indicates a prevalent comfort with mediocrity within the existing culture. With introduction of innovative, thoughtful approaches likely felt disruptive to the status quo, challenging the existing norms and expectations. Such resistance is common in environments where there is a reluctance to transcend average achievements. If the right place your essence will trhive and most likely you will testify a shift in perception, from resistence/ridicule to incentive /admiration.

To be excellent involves genuine virtue and effort.

Focusing excessively on problems or what lacks within an organization, rather than on solutions and strengths, can significantly undermine the culture of excellence. This approach can lead to a negative atmosphere, stifle innovation, and demotivate employees. Despair can arise when one's focus is misaligned from potentiality and purpose.

Impact on Organizational Culture:

1. Negativity Bias: Dwelling on problems can create a pervasive sense of negativity, which affects how individuals perceive their roles and the organization. A culture dominated by negativity can diminish motivation and inhibit the ability to envision and work towards positive outcomes;
2. Fear of Failure: When the focus is excessively on what’s wrong or lacking, it can foster a fear of failure. This fear may discourage risk-taking and innovation—key components of a dynamic and progressive organizational culture. Usage of individual's will is recomended here as driving force for achievement and overcoming challenges combined with a positive, assertive approach rather than a fear-based one;
3. Reduced Creativity and Innovation: If an organization primarily focuses on deficiencies, it can limit thinking to within a constrained framework. This can stifle creativity, which is essential for finding new solutions and improvements. Experience and experimental learning suggests that positive, proactive engagement with challenges is crucial for meaningful learning and growth;
4. Lack of stimulus and Disengagement: Constantly highlighting what is lacking can demotivate staff. People thrive on recognition and positive reinforcement. Without it, engagement and productivity can decline, as employees may feel that their efforts are neither recognized nor valued. It's importante to not confuse stimulus with motivation, the first one is external and the second is internal;
5. Short-term Fixation: An excessive focus on problems can lead organizations to prioritize short-term fixes over long-term solutions. This can prevent the development of strategic approaches that require investment and patience but lead to sustainable excellence.

Strategies to Cultivate a Positive Focus:

1. Strengths-Based Approach: Organizations should focus on strengths and capabilities as much as on identifying gaps and problems. This approach not only builds confidence but also encourages a more balanced view of the organization’s capabilities.
2. Solution-Oriented Mindset: Encourage a culture where the emphasis is on finding solutions rather than dwelling on problems. This aligns with pragmatism that prioritize actionable knowledge and constructive outcomes.
3. Celebrating Successes: Regularly acknowledging and celebrating successes can counterbalance the focus on problems. This not only boosts morale but also reinforces a sense of competence and achievement across the organization.
4. Constructive Feedback: Feedback should be constructive, with an emphasis on improvement and learning rather than criticism. This approach fosters an environment where mistakes are seen as opportunities for growth.
5. Empowering Employees: Empower employees to take initiative and make decisions that can solve problems and fill gaps. This empowerment can transform the organizational focus from what is lacking to what can be achieved.

By shifting the focus from problems and deficiencies to opportunities and strengths, organizations can foster a more productive, innovative, and positive culture that is conducive to excellence. This transformation aligns with philosophical views that champion human potential and constructive change.

The prerrogative of the experts in excellence.

Experts, while highly knowledgeable, can sometimes focus too narrowly on specific areas of concern, potentially overlooking broader opportunities for growth and improvement. This can lead to a culture where the emphasis is more on avoiding failure (as highlighted by problems) than on striving for success.

In that way is benefictual that experts are trainned to deal with a variety of viewpoints by involving team members from different levels and backgrounds in decision-making processes. Always appling active listening and avoinding judgement.

Correct understanding of skeptcism, not as doubting anything but questioning about what you are unsure of, but recognizing when valid evidence is presented to change your mind. Cognitive biases such as confirmation bias, where individuals may favor information that confirms their preexisting beliefs, often focusing on negatives should be avoided at high stake.

Fare Bene Quello Che Si Fa

The phrase "fare bene quello che si fa," translating to "do well what one does," encapsulates a virtue ethic that emphasizes excellence in every action, regardless of one's innate talent or proclivities. This concept aligns with the philosophical traditions that value the cultivation of character and the mastery of one's duties and actions, much like Aristotle's notion of arete (excellence or virtue).

Of course perfection is not reality so perfectibility is the best road, so it's higly important exploring the value of effort towards excellence where we touch upon fundamental differences in how intention and virtue are conceptualized and valued.

Intention ethics, grounded in deontology, places supreme value on the intention behind an action rather than its consequences. According to Immanuel Kant, the moral worth of an action lies in its being done from a sense of duty and based on universal principles, rather than from self-interest or for its results. This perspective suggests that the effort toward excellence has intrinsic value if it is motivated by good intentions and adherence to duty.

In modern ethical discussions, especially in diverse and complex environments like workplaces, integrating these perspectives can provide a balanced approach. Recognizing the importance of good intentions and the cultivation of practical wisdom and virtue in context can lead to a more holistic understanding of what it means to strive for excellence.